New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-07-19
no LEARN THE ROPES
FEARING AN INCREASE OF SUICIDES.

n
LAW.
The swset little legislative cherub that sits up
aoft and aims at guiding hotel keepers in the way
they should CO. has assumed rsactIonary attitude;
for alter edecting brief Sunday tieup," IL is
giving its proteges rope than they want bill,
which became law, and took effect the 1t of
July requires that hotelkeeper must provide rope
or other better fre-eacape appliance in every
OF their establishment" This law IL being enforced
at Albany; and though rs YET 1t has only been more
honor eli In the breach in this CITY, the hotel here
intend to carry il out they convenient
Iy; but not without protest. This Ia what W. d.
Garrison, of the Grand Union Hotel, said to o
TRIBUNE reporter yesterday:
" This bill requires nave in every rope
better appliances thus acknowledging that there
better appliances than the rope Then 1t goes
to say that ths rope shall be coil dtbat must mean
that the better appliances must be cosd and how
going to coil iron hreescapesl The rope will
be very handy for who wants to commit suicide.
was just thinking, coming along Fortysecond-st
from the depot how it would look to find row of
corpses adjoining my hotel walls with these ropes
ound their necks. That is of the great absurd
ties of existing systen OF legislation to have peo
pie make laws tor business Who dont know any
thing about IL; and il is OF the aims Of our pro
jected State Association say in my prospectus to
educate the people up to the wants. not OF US alone,
but OF the Great bulk Of the travelling community.
"Another phase of that rope business is the fact
that rope becomes in time rotten The bill does not
specify what kind OF rope snail DO used therefore,
il may be a MANILA rope which will support 400
pounds hen new or a hemp rope which will support
400 20 mus But In year h,Iup rope that will,
when new support 400 pounds. will not support one
II goes to decay-Lo one seems to know why-eicept
it Is tarred, any will admit that man would
not like 20 down tarred rope. Another thing to
which drew the Gov. rpors attention is that no
man 20 down rope for than ten feet unless
he twines bis legs around il. He cannot descend
dangling from his hands, and unless he gets hold OF 1t
With his legs he cannot support himself and to
qualify yourself to do that you must enter circus or
q gymuasurn and 90 through course OF training.
al bad little experience OF my own in the way OF
rops-descending | was building new house on
FOry-rst few years ago. one-inch rope hung
down through the building wanted to descend two
stores and thought would TO ira, ell by the
rope grasPed il and began my trip, but before
possible TO kee? my hold, aud was gla to swing my.
self to the next story below. Next morning asked
of the workmen about II, aud he saId I'll show
you how TO get down. and he did it by twning the
rope twice around his leg but how many people
know that, and how many could do III Another
point 10 which drew the Governors attention was
that this rope was attached to the base OF the
dow with the different outward projections there 1t
would be utterly impossible tor man TO go iyer 1t
by n rope unless he went OCT backward like u crap
and how many are expert enough 60 do that y
thought had made the matter plain enough to the
Governor to prevent him from signing tie bill How
ever, he signed and in Ncwfork City are going
TO comply with II.
The absurdty of the rope bill. rope law rather.
IL fully BY the fact that the rope is to be
made sattachable to q joist timber the win
dow. which does not exist IN any brick building put
they lcgsate for business without any regard Tor
what Ia practical There il no hotel man IN the City
OF New-York who would not spend thousand dollars
thousand dollars to prevent the loss OF single
life II he knew how to do 1t and we claim that we
carry in every OF the word, in every way in
our power. the laws made for our guidance in that
respect. One of the points Ia to look at the
thing Just % It 10 but neither get the legsla-
tive men nor the departments to do so. We believe
OF prevention Is worth pound oil cure; out
"a for this rope law"
Mr. Allen OF the Astor House. said to the reporter
" II we have a ton OF rope coed up IN every room
don't see where the otcupan i, sleep except on the
roof It will cost mint of money to obey this law,
and end OF trouble"
But will you obey it
Why, certainly. Ny dear sir, If the law asked me
TO hang myself I would eheertully do ltP
And will yon cheerfuly provide Tor tue hanging
of a iope In of hre e.
{" Why certainly. The rope is a great institution.
What great convenience Tor suicides 10 beats the
old fashioned escape-ot-gas method completely Ana
how easily and gracefully ladies will glide down. On
l'm tor the rope! J"
A. l. Asbmsn, OF the Sinclair House, cheerfully re-
marked: Sure enough people will have TO know the
ropes thorougly before entering New-fork
hotel guess that one Tor nv use would have TO be
pretty thick" he added, glnncing downward al bis
portly person -
Mr. Ashman," sad an interested bystander. =" it's
high time that a State association kept an eve on
hoIel interests in the Legislature Our lsw,makers
don't nj Wars give us What is desirable and right and
often what they do give US Il absolutely nnheeessa,,
useless aud costy-in tact. legislative white
elephant They remind OF an old rhyme with
reason in it, which states that:
There an OLD man. AMI he had An Old COW.
nd he VI nothing 10 give her.
30 he lila fiddle ssd played her A tune
'Coasier rood COW. CONSIDER ,
This time "i the year lot the grass 70 grow
Consiisr, good COW consider
moral. But the co " diol lust the same"